This invention relates to a battery with power output terminals that allow selective use of the battery in a device based on the battery characteristics, particularly electrical characteristics such as discharge power output capability.
Battery powered devices require batteries with certain electrical characteristics in order to operate properly, and conditions that may arise within devices that are acceptable for some batteries types may be undesirable for others. In order to insure the proper combinations of battery types and devices, devices can be designed so only batteries with certain shapes or with selected dimensions within limited ranges will fit. The locations, configurations and sizes of the battery power output terminals and corresponding locations, configurations and sizes of electrical contacts in the devices can also be designed so that only certain battery types will make proper electrical contact when installed in devices. To facilitate this, standards (e.g., the International Electrotechnical Commission's IEC 60086 series International Standards and The American National Standards Institute's ANSI C18 series American National Standards) have been established to prescribe various standard battery types with fixed nominal voltages, dimensions and terminals. For many devices, batteries whose key dimensions and terminals fall within the specified ranges can be used interchangeably in devices, even though the batteries may contain cells using different electrochemical systems. For example, IEC R6 size batteries include Zn/MnO2 batteries with aqueous ZnCl2 electrolyte (R6), Zn/MnO2 batteries with aqueous alkali metal hydroxide electrolyte (LR6), Li/FeS2 batteries with organic electrolyte (FR6) and Li/CuO batteries with organic electrolyte (GR6). While R6 type batteries can often be used interchangeably in many devices, those of one electrochemical system may be preferred to those of another electrochemical system, due to differences in battery electrical characteristics. In recent years the trend in new battery operated portable consumer devices has been toward higher constant power devices and higher minimum voltages. Those devices requiring higher power from the batteries may not only require only certain battery chemistries for optimum performance, they may not operate at all with other battery types. Consequently, high power devices are sometimes being designed to use higher power batteries, often having higher nominal voltages, to avoid consumer confusion and dissatisfaction which might otherwise result from the use of lower power batteries. Examples of such high power devices include photographic flash equipment, video camcorders, portable computers, personal digital assistants and digital still cameras.
In order to allow for increased interchangeability while still preventing poor performance and dangerous conditions, battery and device designs have been altered to allow interchangeable use of batteries having different nominal voltages. For example, Aoi et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,490) disclose a device with a modified battery holder which allows the use of either two standard 1.5 volt batteries in series or a single 3 volt battery to be installed and used to operate the device. The 3 volt battery is the same size and shape as the 1.5 volt batteries, but the 3 volt battery has power output terminals located on one end and the side of the battery instead of on the two ends. While this allows use of two 1.5 volt batteries in series as an alternative to a single 3 volt battery, a special 3 volt battery, having the same terminals and dimensions as the 1.5 volt batteries, is required. However, these special 3 volt batteries can only be used in specially designed devices. The initially small market for the special batteries may be a disincentive to investing in the development and manufacturing of a new battery type.
Interchangeability of primary and secondary (rechargeable) batteries can be even more challenging, since there are additional considerations in designing rechargeable batteries and devices in which they are used. For example, if the device contains or can be coupled with a charger for recharging the batteries, it is generally desirable to either prevent the use of primary batteries or somehow prevent recharging if primary batteries are used, since recharging primary batteries can be dangerous. In the past, cylindrical rechargeable batteries with power output terminals on both ends have been modified by relocating one of the terminals from one end to the side of the battery and replacing the relocated terminal with a nonconductive covering. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,889 (Ruggiero et al.) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP 08-096,793 (Machida et al.). These examples can prevent charging of primary batteries of the same size if mistakenly installed in a device intended for rechargeable batteries. However, rechargeable batteries such as these cannot be used in devices designed to be powered by standard primary batteries with power output terminals on opposite ends.
Ruggiero et al., as well as Sullivan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,506,902), Beachy (U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,268), Smilanich et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,507), Spellman (U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,924) and Aoi et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,490) also disclose using an electrical contact on the side of a cylindrical rechargeable battery for the sole purpose of charging the batteries. This allows the use of either primary or rechargeable batteries in the same battery holders but avoids inadvertent charging primary batteries without a side contact. However, there is no way to distinguish batteries with particular characteristics (e.g., electrical characteristics such as high power output capability from other batteries of the same dimensions in order to allow use of only those batteries with the desired characteristic in certain high power devices.
Because 3 volt lithium batteries (such as Li/MnO2 batteries) are capable of providing high power energy, many high power devices are designed to use them. These batteries have standard dimensions and terminals that are different from other battery types (e.g., 1.5 volt alkaline Zn/MnO2 batteries) to prevent the user from inadvertently installing a battery that will not operate or may damage the device. However, there are other battery types, such as standard sized 1.5 volt Li/FeS2 batteries, that are capable of providing the required power for some types of high power devices that are currently designed to use only 3 volt lithium batteries. The 1.5 volt batteries may be advantageous for other reasons, such as availability, cost and the ability to use 1.5 volt batteries in many other common consumer devices. It would be desirable to be able to use primary Li/FeS2 and other high power battery types in high power devices, particularly readily available, standard sized batteries.
The prior art does not satisfactorily solve the problems of unnecessarily excluding primary batteries that are suitable for lower power devices from use in high power devices or enabling selective use of primary or rechargeable battery types having only desirable electrical characteristics in a device from among other battery types with similar terminals and dimensions.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a primary or rechargeable battery that can be selectively used in a device based on the desired characteristics (e.g., electrical characteristics such as discharge power output) of the battery.
Another object of the invention is to provide a battery with standard (i.e., as defined in battery industry standards) nominal voltage and dimensions that can be selectively used in a device intended to use only a battery with particular electrical characteristics and can be also be used in any device designed to use batteries having the standard voltage and dimensions.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a battery that provides improved interchangeability, is economical and convenient, and avoids user confusion.